Physical Fitness During Old Age Helps Reduce Risk of Reduced Mobility

Staying physical throughout all stages of life is essential to mental and physical health. A recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Florida (UF) shows that routine physical activity helps older individuals maintain mobility while simultaneously reducing their risk of physical disability.

"The very purpose of the study is to provide definitive evidence that physical activity can truly improve the independence of older adults," said principal investigator Marco Pahor, Ph.D., director of the UF's Institute on Aging reported in the press release.

For the study, researchers examined 1,635 participants between the ages of 70 and 89. The team randomly separated the individuals into two separate groups that were followed for an average of 2.6 years each, from February 2010 to December 2013.

The first group consisted of 818 people who exercised by walking 150 minutes each week, combined with balance, flexibility and strength training. Individuals in this group also visited field centers twice a week. The second group of 817 seniors showed participants who went to health education classes and stretching exercises.

"Four hundred meters is once around the track, or from the parking lot to the store, or two or three blocks around your neighborhood," said co-principal investigator Jack Guralnik, Ph.D., a professor of epidemiology and public health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, via the release. "It's an important distance in maintaining an independent life."

Every six months, researchers assessed the participants' walking ability, blood pressure, pulse rate and weight. They found that the group who regularly walked had an 18 percent higher rate of mobility compared to those who did not exercise. They were also 28 percent less likely to lose their ability to walk.

"The fact that we had an even bigger impact on persistent disability is very good," Guralnik added. "It implies that a greater percentage of the adults who had physical activity intervention recovered when they did develop mobility disability."

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the Journal of the American Medical Association.